Why we can't even relax on vacation and what to do about it

It happens quite oftenWe wait all year for the holidays to come so we can rest, because we really need to get rid of stress, and when it finally happens we realize that we have not had time to take a break. It is true that during that time we have not had to keep an eye on emails, meetings or reports, but in return there have been other responsibilities that have also kept us alert.

The problem is that we don't know how to relax. If you take a look at the internet, you will find thousands of pages dealing with the same problem, which shows two things: on the one hand we are obsessed with learning to relax, on the other, we are not going the right way in achieving that end. We know very well that to stay healthy we must have body and mind in harmony, which means that the former must stay exercised, rested and fed, which will help the mind, for its part, also feel relaxed and fit.

You may have trouble enjoying your free time because you are too obsessed with relaxing, which, paradoxically, will achieve the opposite effect.

Stress and anxiety trigger a reaction in the sympathetic nervous systemResearch has already suggested that we can become stressed when we try to relax, because we are asking too much of our bodies. You may have trouble enjoying your free time because you are too obsessed with relaxing, which, paradoxically, will have the opposite effect.

We live in a world where relaxing is difficult. The demands of daily life are intense and endless, and we have equated success with achievement, and this in turn with happiness. Focusing on relaxation (you repeat in your head: "You have to relax, relax, let's go") is not nearly enough. So what should we do? Learn to relax in a different way. It is worth it, because if we do not return from the holidays without having read the classics, lost those two kilos that we proposed or have relaxed a bit.

How to get it? From 'Psychology Today' they offer some guidelines that maybe they can help you get started. You don't lose anything trying.

Meditation or yoga has been shown to have powerful effects on the body and mind

1. Your task should be to learn to relax. Calming the spirit, resting the brain or slowing the heartbeat are not easy tasks, they must be learned, and the holidays are a good time to do it.
2. Choose mechanisms to achieve it. Meditation or yoga has been shown to have powerful effects on the body and mind. Teach or read a book about it, so that learning becomes a priority.
3. Learn something else that has a good reputation for calming: sewing, painting, drawing, cooking …
4. Practice sleeping. It may seem silly, but it is also necessary.
5. In the same way, practice rest, it is not easy when you are used to doing things continuously.
6. Practice looking at nothing, it goes along the same lines. See as a good thing to give yourself a break.
7. Assign a certain number of books, movies or series that you really want to see on vacation.
8. Take bike rides or hikes.

The point, as you can see, is to establish some goals to relax that can really be achieved. If you think you can master these goals, you will be motivated to work towards them. And there's a good chance that you can actually end your vacation more relaxed than you started!